Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Travel Medicine Among Healthcare Practitioners In Nigeria: a Cross-sectional Study

Olatunde, Oluwasayo Adewumi; Ilodibia, Nkechi; Alawode, Olusegun; Alao, Adegboyega Olalekan; Kajero, Ayokunle; Bakare, Oyindamola; Oliyide, Oluwaremilekun Temitope; Ibisola, Babalola Adeniyi; Ayoola, Benedict Temiipe

doi:10.30491/ijtmgh.2025.494586.1448

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Travel Medicine Among Healthcare Practitioners In Nigeria: a Cross-sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Oluwasayo Adewumi Olatunde ¹

Nkechi Ilodibia ²

Olusegun Alawode ³

Adegboyega Olalekan Alao ⁴

Ayokunle Kajero ⁵

Oyindamola Bakare ⁶

Oluwaremilekun Temitope Oliyide ⁶

Babalola Adeniyi Ibisola ⁷

Benedict Temiipe Ayoola ⁶

¹ Dalhousie University, Family Medicine, Halifax, Canada and University of British Columbia, Family Medicine, Vancouver, Canada.

² Nigerian Society of Travel Medicine, Lagos State, Nigeria

³ University College Hospital, Family Medicine, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

⁴ Lagoon Hospitals, Lagos State, Nigeria.

⁵ University of Lagos, College of Medicine, Lagos State, Nigeria

⁶ Society for Good Health, Sustainable Development and Environmental Awareness, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

⁷ Triverge Geriatrics Centre, Triverge Healthcare Ltd. Lagos State, Nigeria

10.30491/ijtmgh.2025.494586.1448

Abstract

Introduction
Travel medicine in Nigeria is underdeveloped. The environmental, economic, and social conditions vary from country to country. This implies that healthcare practitioners must have vast knowledge of the field as misinformation can result in travel-related illness, psychological distress, and even death. Hence, this study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of medical practitioners regarding travel medicine in Nigeria.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 296 medical practitioners across Nigeria using a semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS v26.
Results
The study revealed that 50% of the respondents had good knowledge of travel medicine, with 85.5% showing positive attitudes. However, the proportion of medical doctors who demonstrated high-quality practice was low (7.1%). Key predictors of knowledge include attitude (B = 10.515, p < 0.0001) practice (B = 3.644, p < 0.0001), and geopolitical zone (-0.995, p = 0.038), while knowledge was a significant predictor of attitude (B = 0.013, p < 0.0001) and practice (B = 0.054, p < 0.0001). Also, medical doctors in the North-Western parts of Nigeria had a higher likelihood of demonstrating low knowledge (OR = 0.357, p = 0.034) and negative attitudes (OR = 0.235, p = 0.007) toward travel medicine compared to their counterparts from the South-West.
Conclusion
It is recommended that subsidized professional training programs be organized to ensure that medical practitioners are kept abreast of the best practices in the field. Future studies should explore specific barriers and evaluate the effectiveness of proposed interventions

Keywords

pre-travel consultations

immigration

West-Africa

Healthcare